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WASHINGTON, FRANKLIN AND JEFFERSON BRING HOME BEST OF SHOW FOR VISIT FAIRFAX

Published: 02/27/2014

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA - February 27, 2014 - Thanks to a little help from America's Founding Fathers, Visit Fairfax took home six Adrian Awards, including an overall Best of Show for Digital Marketing for its "Historical Figures" campaign. The awards were given out at the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Annual Adrian Awards Gala in New York City this past Monday.

For this successful campaign, Visit Fairfax and its advertising agency of record, White+Partners, are winners of the coveted Platinum Adrian Award and a Gold Award for integrated digital marketing, as well as two additional Gold Awards for video and public relations, and a Silver Award for advertising. The campaign was also honored with the top award in Digital Marketing for Best of Show.

"Visit Fairfax and indeed our great County were honored and recognized amongst our industry as 'the Best.' Our program was chosen from more than a thousand national and international brands, countries and other destinations," said Barry Biggar, President and CEO of Visit Fairfax. "It's truly an honor to be presented with these prestigious awards and I want to send heartfelt congratulations to our entire team, especially to our exceptional colleagues at White+Partners for all of their hard work."

The "Historical Figures" campaign launched over the 2013 Fourth of July holiday, targeting the drive markets of New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The campaign was developed to showcase all of the "WOW" Fairfax County, Virginia has to offer, with a goal to generate buzz and engage Smartphone users with an innovative, cross-platform mobile experience. Users were able to transform static posters, located in high-traffic urban areas of the targeted cities, into an interactive experience with a little help from the ubiquitous QR code and a clever video, spoken from the mouths of our Founding Fathers.

As a result of street team dominance, engaging out-of-home creative, an interactive mobile experience, and a socially viral promotion, the campaign was a major success that translated into increased visitation. Prospective travelers saw, scanned, and laughed to the tune of more than 16 million media impressions. The campaign generated increased traffic to the website with conversion of $760 per click to the site that translated into a projected $7 million in revenue to the county and a 150:1 return on investment.

HSMAI, comprised of more than 7,000 members across the globe, provides hotel professionals and other partners with tools to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs like the Adrian Awards. Celebrating its 57th year, the HSMAI Adrian Awards honors breakthrough advertising, public relations, and digital marketing campaigns focused on hospitality, travel and tourism industries. Additional information on the 2013 HSMAI Adrian Awards, including a list of all winners, is available here.

White+Partners was founded in 1964 as Nolan Duffy and White by E. James White who had a passion for creative that delivered results. With the recent acquisition of ABNW, a digital strategy and UX firm, White+Partners has unlocked a unique strategic approach that is attracting new clients with integrated winning solutions. For more information, please visit http://www.whiteandpartners.com/, their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/whiteandpartners or follow them on Twitter @WhiteNPartners.